Insurers pan 'flimsy' sport-utility vehicles
But makers say low-speed crash tests don't reflect "real world"
February 29, 1996
Web posted at: 2:45 p.m. EST
From Correspondent Chuck Conder
(CNN) -- Sport-utility vehicles, which have a rugged off-road image, are expensive to fix after low-speed crashes more typical of parking lot fender benders, says a report backed by the insurance industry. (340K QuickTime movie)
"We think the adjective that best describes them is flimsy," says Brian O'Neill, president of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Four collision tests at 5 mph, including head-on crashes into walls and backward into poles -- found that the sport-utility vehicle, the trendy 90's answer to the family station wagon, may not be as tough as their advertising campaigns say they are.
The 1996 Isuzu Rodeo had the highest repair costs -- $8,173. The Rodeo, which is nearly identical to the Honda Passport, was followed in total repair costs by the 1996 Toyota 4Runner, $7,147; Land Rover Discovery, $6,555; Jeep Grand Cherokee, $5,763; and Ford Explorer, $5,639.
Repairs for the Chevrolet Blazer, which is similar to the GMC Jimmy, were $4,168, the least expensive of the six vehicles crash-tested. Such numbers translate into higher insurance premiums, institute Vice President Chuck Hurley says. (89K AIFF sound or 89K WAV sound)
Because sport-utility vehicles are technically classified as trucks, they escape tough federal bumper standards that apply to regular passenger cars. Cars tend to sustain less damage in low-speed crashes.
But not all owners of sport-utility vehicles are convinced.
"I've been in a few fender bender bumper accidents, and it's been minimal damage to my car and more damage to the smaller car," said one woman. Another woman, who previously owned a Mercedes Benz, told CNN she feels safer in her sport-utility vehicle.
"The Honda Passport meets or exceeds all government regulations and standards. The tests in question do not reflect real world situations."
-- Honda statement
Hurley denied the criticism that the tests don't reflect the "real world." Bu he did acknowledge that the institute's giant insurance data base, which contains vehicle claims from the 15 largest insurance companies, does not yet have enough claim data on 1996 vehicles.
If the crash-test findings have any impact at all, it will have to be on members of Congress. Any new required bumper standards for sport-utility vehicles would have to come from them.
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